Reunion by Fate
by AnimegirlTohru
Summary: Sequel to "A Sliver of Hope". Jayce Anderson, a kidnapper who specifically targets children of military families, has resurfaced. When Mary is kidnapped, the MCRT is on the case. Meanwhile, Gibbs' gut is telling him that there is something familiar about Bethany, though he still has yet to figure out what it is.
1. A Strange Feeling

**A/N: Hey there! So this is the sequel to** _ **A Sliver of Hope!**_ **If you have not read it, read that first otherwise you will not know what is going on and you'll be missing some plot/character details.**

 _Chapter 1: A Strange Feeling_

Tali clung tight to her mother as they waited in the interview room. She was the only one who actually witnessed Mary being taken away. Bethany had briefly left the apartment to pick up the mail.

Gibbs entered the room and closed the door. Ziva comfortingly stroked her daughter's hair. "Everything will be okay tateleh," she whispered trying to calm her down.

Gibbs sat down across from them on the other side of the table. "Hello Tali." He gave her a small smile and handed her a juice box. "I got you some apple juice, I know it is your favorite," he said gently.

"T-Thank you Uncle Gibbs…" she said quietly giving him a small smile back.

"You're welcome honey." Gibbs was trying to tread carefully with how he questioned her. He knew that the girls were best friends and that Tali must be terrified. But she was the only who witnessed it happen. He hoped they would be able to find and rescue Mary soon.

"So, Tali, could you tell me what happened?"

Tali looked at her mother. Ziva nodded at her and gently squeezed her hand. Tali looked at Gibbs. "W-Well… Mary and I were playing in the living room and Ms. Shields was expecting something in the mail so she left for a few minutes to check it. S-She locked the door and told us not to open it… We didn't… B-But…"

 _ **The Previous Night…**_

" _You look so pretty Princess Mary!" Tali exclaimed giggling._

" _You do too Princess Tali!"_

 _The two girls were playing dress up. Bethany put all her old clothes in a large wooden chest for them to play with. Tali was wearing a sparkly pink dress and Mary was wearing a red silk dress. They also both attempted to braid each other's hair._

 _The door was opening and they thought it was Mary's mother so they headed to the door to greet her. The rattling of the doorknob intensified and the girls were confused wondering if Bethany forgot her keys._

 _Suddenly, the lock broke and in stepped a man. He short black hair, tan skin and dark brown eyes. He was about six feet tall and had a muscular physique. He smiled at the young girls; he gave off an unsettling feeling. "You turned out more beautiful than I had expected," he looked at Mary, his tone eerie._

 _Tali whispered, "D-Do you know him Mary?"_

 _Mary shook her head. Both girls were petrified. Who was this man? Why did he seem to know Mary?_

" _Your mother hasn't talked to me in a while."_

" _Y-You know my mommy?" Mary asked._

 _ **Present**_

"I-I… Can't remember anything after that… I-I just remember waking up when Ms. Shields got home…" Tali explained, as she started to cry. Ziva pulled her into her lap and gently wiped the tears.

"It's alright, thank you for telling me what you know. We will find her Tali…" Gibbs said softly. After Ziva and Tali left, he thought about the description of the man; he had a feeling that he might know the identity of the kidnapper, but he wouldn't know until they had a sketch done and searched the database. He phoned Tim so that he could get the team together and brief them on the case.

* * *

Tim and Abby arrived at the squad room and met up with Gibbs and Ellie at the bullpen.

Gibbs at first didn't say anything at first. Then he addressed Tim. "I want you and Bishop to interview Bethany Shields. Her apartment is being checked for any trace evidence. She is currently staying with the DiNozzos. We don't know much besides the description of the man that Tali provided. Find out whatever information you can. This may not have anything to do with a personnel of the Navy or the Marines, but I have a suspect in mind. He is a high profile criminal and is wanted by all the military investigation branches, therefore we will proceed with this investigation."

"Understood boss." Tim replied. He and Ellie grabbed their gear and headed out.

Gibbs started to lose himself in thought again. There was something that was bothering him about this case, more particularly it had to do with Bethany. He wasn't sure if it was de ja vu, or if it was something else. His famous gut instinct was trying to tell him something, but it had not yet become clear.

"Um, Gibbs, is there anything you want me to do?" Abby asked.

Gibbs nodded. "Yes, I want you to standby for when the evidence comes in."

"Alright… Um Gibbs?"

"Yeah Abbs?"

"…Are you okay? You just seem to be really out of it and it's not like you. Well I mean not that you're not being you, I mean you just seem like something is bothering you."

"I am fine, Abby."

Abby crossed her arms. "Hmm, I don't know if I believe you."

"…Does Bethany remind you of anyone?"

Abby thought really thought about it before answering, "I'm not sure. Why? Does she remind you of someone?"

"I think so. But I don't really know."

"Maybe this investigation will help you find answers," Abby said as she set a hand on Gibbs' arm.

Gibbs nodded. "Maybe it will."

"Someone looks like they need a hug," Abby hugged him

"Thanks Abbs."

 **A/N: Please let me know what you think in a review! Thanks for reading.**


	2. Threat

**A/N: Hey there! Glad to see those who originally read "A Sliver of Hope" found the sequel! Also happy to see a few new readers as well! :)  
Sorry to ramble a bit, but I wanted to say I find it funny how this started as a fic that was Tiva centered, that was just for closure to that season finale most of us were mad about but then it started to involve the other characters and then I even made some OCs. It is all thanks to you, my lovely readers that I have been able to get this far with this, I've really enjoyed writing this story and I'm glad you guys like it too. So thank you! :)**

 _Chapter 2: Threat_

Tim and Ellie arrived at the apartment building and made their way up to the DiNozzo's apartment. Ellie knocked on the door and Tony answered right away. "Hey, Gibbs told me you'd be here." He said as he let them into the apartment.

Tim nodded. "Yeah. Uh, how is Bethany doing?"

"How do you think she's doing McGee? She's worried sick about her daughter—"

"Don't give them a hard time, Tony," Ziva interrupted. "Yes, naturally she is worried, but she's doing her best to be strong. She's holding onto straws."

"Um, I think you mean grasping at straws—"

"Whatever," Ziva turned to the two agents again. "Just be careful when you talk to her. She's playing with Tali in her bedroom."

Ellie nods. "Thank you Ziva."

Tim and Ellie walked into Tali's room and Bethany was playing pickup sticks with Tali. Tali noticed them first and greeted them. "Hi Uncle Tim, and Aunty Ellie," she said not sounding like her usually cheerful self.

The two agents smile at her. Ellie gets down on her level. "Tali, is it alright if we talk to Bethany alone for a little bit in the living room?"

Tali pouted cutely, then nodded with a dramatic sigh. "Alright, I guess…" she replied reluctantly. Before Bethany stood up, she hugged her. "I-I know they'll find Mary… They have to… Uncle Gibbs will make sure of it."

Bethany smiled slightly as she hugged the young girl. "Thank you Tali." She stood up and followed Ellie and Tim into the living room, they sat on the couch and Bethany sat on the chair adjacent from them "…So I'm assuming you haven't found anything yet." Bethany asked.

Tim shook his head. "No we have not. Do you mind if we ask you a few questions?"

"No, not at all if it will help find my daughter."

"Alright, thank you." Tim replied. "So can you tell us a bit about your background, like your family?"

Bethany paused before finally nodding. "Well that's a little complicated to explain."

"Complicated how?" Ellie asked.

"I don't know who my birth parents are. I think I was given for adoption right after I was born. I was adopted by a very nice couple, they raised and took care of me as if I was their own flesh and blood. But they died in a bad car crash three years ago. So unless my birth parents are alive, I don't have anyone except Mary…"

Ellie looked at her sympathetically, "We will find her Bethany. I apologize in advance for asking, but do you still have any ties to her father?"

Bethany simply nodded. "No… That is also a complicated matter and I would rather not talk about it if I don't have to."

The two agents both nodded. "We understand," Tim said as he took out a file that had the notes from Gibbs' interview with Tali. "When Gibbs talked to Tali earlier, she said something interesting. The last thing that she remembered hearing Mary say before she blacked out was 'You know my mommy?'. She was asking that question to the man who kidnapped her," He explained. "Is it possible you have any enemies or someone who might hold a grudge against you?"

Bethany could not get herself to respond to the question. She already had a bad feeling that she knew who took her daughter. She knew that Tim and Ellie probably already had suspicions about Mary's father. Even though she didn't want to talk about it, she knew that she would have to at some point.

"Well I…" as she was about to explain her cell phone dinged, indicating that she received a text message. She took her phone out of her pocket and opened the message. Her eyes widened and filled with fear. The message read:

" _Say one more word and the girl suffers."_

Bethany's hands started to shake as memories of what happened four years ago flashed through her mind. She dropped the phone on the carpet.

"Bethany?" Ellie said softly as she picked up the phone and looked to her for permission to look at the message. Bethany gave her a subtle nod. Tim and Ellie both looked at the screen and another message appeared. Both were from an unknown number.

" _You better be aware of your actions. You don't want to make me angry."_

"We better get back to the office so we can try to trace it," Ellie said.

Tim nodded in agreement. "Yes. Bishop, you go and brief Tony and Ziva on the situation and I will call Gibbs. I know he would want us to take Bethany and them as well, into protective custody, but I'm going to call him just to inform him of what's going on."

Ellie nods. "Yes that is what I was also thinking." She hurried out of the living room to the kitchen where Tony and Ziva were. And Tim called Gibbs.

* * *

Gibbs was on his way down to the morgue. His phone rang and he promptly answered, "Yeah, Gibbs."

"Boss, we have a situation. Our kidnapper has made contact with Ms. Shields. We're being watched. We are evacuating her as well as the DiNozzos them immediately… I uh just thought you should know."

"Well then get to it McGee, you're already wasting time" Gibbs responded impatiently.

"On it boss." McGee hung up the phone.

"Ah, hello Jethro," Ducky said as Gibbs entered the morgue. "How may I help you?"

"Why do you think I need help Duck?" Gibbs asked.

"Well... You're not currently on a murder case, so you're not here for autopsy results... Something else must be on your mind."

Gibbs nodded.

"So… What is it then?"

"Since I saw Ms. Shields at Tony and Ziva's wedding, I've had a feeling that I have seen her before."

"Well have you seen her before Jethro?"

Gibbs shrugged. "That's what I am unsure of." A memory soon played through his head.

 _ **November 9, 2005**_

 _Gibbs stopped by the grocery store one night on his way home from work. Jenny Shepard had now been the NCIS director for a few months. He was not completely thrilled about it, but he was starting to get used to it._

" _Hello Jethro," a familiar voice said from behind him._

' _Well, speak of the devil.' Gibbs thought snarkily. He nodded to her. "Hello Director."_

" _We're off hours, you know that you can just call me Jenny."_

" _Well, okay then,_ _Jenny._ _"_

 _They were approaching the produce section of the store and they saw a young girl who was probably about six years old standing by where the watermelons were. She was crying. Naturally, Gibbs slowly approached the girl. Jenny watched from a small distance. Gibbs knelt down to her level but also made sure to keep a bit of distance. He spoke softly, "Hey, what's wrong?"_

" _I-I… I can't find my mommy…" the girl said crying._

" _What does she look like? We can help you find her."_

" _Um, she is kinda tall, has curly blonde hair and she's wearing a red coat and jeans."_

 _It was a vague description, but it was still better than nothing. Gibbs happened to have an unused tissue in his pocket. He took it out and gently wiped her tears. "Alright, let's go find her then," he smiled at her._

 _Jenny looked at the scene in front of her feeling slightly astonished. She never knew that Gibbs was good with kids. She was not even sure if he liked kids either. She smiled, it was a side of him that she had never seen before. She walked over to them._

" _Um, so what's your name? My name is Bethany," the little girl had calmed down significantly. Once the girl had said her name, Jenny was shocked for a moment. 'It's probably just a coincidence…' she thought. Despite Gibbs' thoughts on coincidence, she was just going to accept this as one for the sake of her sanity. But she still could not help but wonder._

" _My name is Jethro, and this is Jenny." Gibbs said before standing back up._

" _Thank you for helping me Mr. Jethro and Ms. Jenny…"_

 _They both smiled at her. "It's no problem Bethany," Jenny replied softly._

" _Bethany!" they heard a woman's voice shout from a couple aisles down._

" _That's my mommy's voice!" Bethany exclaimed with relief._

 _Jenny and Gibbs walked with her towards where the voice had come from. They came across a woman that had fit Bethany's description. Once they came in eyesight of her, Bethany ran into her mother's arms._

" _Bethany, what I told you that you need to stay close to me so you don't get lost," her mother said to her firmly, but softly._

" _I know mommy… I'm sorry, it won't happen again. Mr. Jethro and Ms. Jenny helped me find you again!" she exclaimed smiling._

 _The mother smiled and kissed her daughter's forehead and then faced Gibbs and Jenny. "Thank you very much for helping my daughter." She introduced herself as she shook their hands, "My name is Anne."_

" _You're welcome Anne," Jenny said nodding at her. She smiled. 'Well, if she is my daughter, or even if she isn't, at least she is happy and healthy.'_

 _ **Present**_

"Jethro?"

Gibbs snapped out of his reminiscing and looked at Ducky. "Sorry Ducky, maybe I'm just a little tired," he lied.

"Or you could be having a sense of de ja vu. Sometimes even seeing someone just once in the past can bring these intuitive feelings you are having. Now, if you are willing to share, what were you just thinking about?"

"Just a memory from the past. It's insignificant."

"Then why am I getting the feeling that it actually IS of significance?" Ducky pressed. "Do you even want my help, Jethro?"

Gibbs walked out of the morgue without another word. Ducky sighed. _I'll never fully understand that man._

 **A/N: Thanks for reading! Please review :)**


	3. Truth

**A/N: Hey guys, sorry this update took longer than usual, it's the last week of my summer class and so I've been busy with that.**

 _Chapter 3: Truth_

When Tim and Ellie got to back to the headquarters, Tim quickly went over to his desk and logged into his computer. He started to work on tracing the number.

Meanwhile, Gibbs headed to Abby's lab. She quickly ran to him. "Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs! The trace evidence from Bethany's apartment came in, I can confirm with confidence that we know who our culprit is."

Gibbs simply nodded and handed her a Caf-Pow. "The floor is yours."

She smiled as she took a sip, then led him to the computer and she started typing. "Alright, so while we did not find any strange fingerprints, we did find some DNA." she took another sip of Caf-Pow before her smile began to fade. "Gibbs, you were right. The man who kidnapped Bethany's daughter was none other than Jayce Anderson…"

Gibbs stayed silent for a few brief moments before patting Abby's shoulder. "Good work Abbs."

He left the lab and took the elevator to the squad room. Now this case would officially be in NCIS jurisdiction. Perhaps he would finally find the answers he was seeking. Did that encounter he recalled from twelve years ago actually hold any relevance like Ducky thought?

As Gibbs was getting in the elevator, Ducky was getting out. Ducky simply nodded at him before the elevator closed once again. He made his way into Abby's lab.

"Hello Abigail," Ducky greeted her.

"Hey Ducky. What are you doing here? Not that I don't want you here, but…" Abby rambled.

"Abby, it may sound slightly farfetched and I do not truly have anything to back it up, but I have a theory."

"Hmm, I do too, but you go first."

"Well… I have a feeling that Jethro has more of a connection to Ms. Shields than he thinks that he does."

Abby met the doctor's gaze, "Well, it seems that great minds think alike… Um, I did more research on Bethany's background, and I found her original birth certificate."

"Her original one?"

Abby nods. "She was adopted, Ducky. Her parents who died a few years ago were her adoptive parents. One of her birth parents is still very much alive…"

"You say one of them is… Who is the other?"

"Both are people we know very well." After some tapping of keys on the keyboard, she brought up the birth certificate so that Ducky could see for himself. His eyes glided across the screen and his look of curiosity transformed into one of shock. He looked back at Abby. "How intriguing… Does Jethro know?"

Abby shook his head. "I don't think he has any idea, Ducky."

Ducky sighed. "The intuitive feelings he has been having make much more sense."

* * *

Jenny was relieved to know that her granddaughter was unharmed at least for now. She did not know what Anderson's intentions were. She was worried about Bethany, she knew that she was not in the greatest mental state. And she also knew that Gibbs was slowly inching closer to the truth. A lot was going on and it all worried her.

"…So now you know that little girl you and Gibbs helped a long time ago really was Bethany, huh?" Kate said as they were watching over Mary.

Jenny nodded. "I suppose you wouldn't call that a coincidence."

Kate laughed a little, "You know what Gibbs says about coincidences."

Jenny managed to smile a little. "Yes I know."

"I um, don't mean to pry, but what even happened between you two?" Kate asked curiously.

"Oh it… It just didn't feel like it was going to work. At the time I was very focused and driven on further advancing my career. I had convinced myself that I didn't have time for a relationship so I decided to break it off."

"I understand… So it must have been a tough decision."

Jenny nodded and sighed. "Yes. As much as I wanted to make it work, I just couldn't. I can't deny that I still cared about him as I still care about him now."

* * *

Mary awakened in a small bed that was placed in the middle of a plain looking room. The walls were painted light blue and to the right of the bed there was a wooden nightstand with a simple white lamp. There was also a small desk by the window.

Mary didn't have any physical injuries, but she was not okay emotionally. She missed her mother; she just wanted to go home. _Who is that man anyway?_

She was completely afraid of what might happen, but she had to get back to her mommy and also to Tali.

Mary carefully sat up and slowly slid out of the bed. She noticed two women standing in front of her, both in similar white robes, one had long brown hair, while the other had shorter hair that was red. They didn't look like they had an intention to hurt her so she decided to go along with it. "U-um, hi," she said shyly. She studied them closely; after observing Kate her eyes lit up. "A-Are you Ms. Kate?" she asked sounding slightly excited.

Kate smiled and nodded to her, "Yes, I am. And you must be Mary."

"You must be Tali's friend! She told me about you," she said excitedly before looking at Jenny. "But I don't know who you are…"

"This is my friend Jenny."

"Aw that's a pretty name." Mary replied.

Jenny smiled, "Thank you."

"So um, what are you two here for? And why are you completely dressed in white?"

"We are angels," Kate explained.

"Oh cool! Mommy told me about angels. She said that it is very special if you ever get to see one."

"We will always be watching over you," Jenny said softly.

"T-Thank you… U-Um, can I ask a question?"

"Yes, of course sweetie, what is it?"

"I um… Do you know who that man was that took me?"

Kate and Jenny looked at each other. Could they really tell Mary that it was her own father kidnapped her?

Before they could make a decision, they heard the door open. It was Jayce. He had a smartphone in his hand and was having a conversation. Kate and Jenny instantly recognized the voice on the other end of the phone line.

"What are your intentions Anderson?"

Jayce smirked, "Oh it is so very simple Agent Gibbs. To take back my daughter, of whom it seems that her mother was too irresponsible to protect."

 **A/N: Thanks for reading! Please review, it really help keep me motivated to continue. :)**


	4. Piecing it Together

**A/N: Hey there; I hope you haven't given up on me yet! I apologize for the late update and that I kind of left you at a cliffhanger, but I've been out in the woods working at a summer camp and now I'm back at college. I also wrote half of this chapter almost two months ago so it took me a while to remember where I was going with it. I am still writing this story, updates will just be slow due to college and work.**

 _Chapter 4: Piecing it Together_

Tim pounded at his keyboard trying to track the call as Gibbs was talking, but as expected the signal was bouncing off of several locations.

"Your daughter?" Gibbs said. He had no clue that this man was Mary's father. But he did know that this could possibly complicate matters.

"Yes, I just said that. Is that a crime that I want to ensure the safety of my daughter?" Jayce asked with challenge in his tone.

"I see that it took you almost five years to show that you care about her," Gibbs scowled.

"Well, maybe I have turned over a new leaf then," Jayce replied followed by a sinister laugh.

Ignoring that last comment, Gibbs went straight to the point, "Where are you keeping her Anderson?" he asked harshly.

"Do you think I am going to just hand you that information?" Jayce laughed again. "The armed forces has been pursuing me for years, what makes you think you will catch me now?" he challenged before hanging up.

Gibbs closed his phone. He looked at Tim, "McGee, were you able to trace the call?"

Tim shook his head, "No, sorry boss. He has the signal bouncing off of multiple locations, I cannot yet pinpoint the exact location."

"Then figure it out McGee." Gibbs did not know about the research that Abby and Ducky had already conducted. He turned to Ellie who was also at her desk, "Bishop, find out whatever information you can about Bethany Shields. Anderson is supposedly the father of Mary Shields. Look into his background as well, in case there's anything about him we don't already have."

Ellie nodded. "Yes boss."

* * *

Jenny and Kate were still watching closely over Mary. Jayce had given Mary something to eat and it seemed that he wasn't going to harm her, at least not right now.

Mary sat at the table and ate the slice of cheese pizza in silence. It didn't seem like this man wanted to hurt her but… What did he mean when he said that he is her father?

"U-Um… I'm sorry, but who are you sir?" Mary asked trying to be as polite and alert as well.

"I suppose your mother never told you about me. I guess it makes sense though," Jayce replied coolly.

Mary looked at him confused wanting an answer.

"I am your daddy," he said calmly.

"If you are then why aren't you with my mommy?" Mary asked innocently.

Jayce obviously was not going to say the truth to a four year old girl. There was a reason that he had disappeared off the grid since the incident. He did have regrets, but he was not willing to pay for his crimes. He was alright with living in the middle of the woods and avoiding civilization as much as possible. "I'm afraid I cannot tell you."

Mary grunted with frustration, "And why is that?"

"It's something you wouldn't understand, honey."

"Don't call me honey! My name is Mary. Only mommy and people that I like can call me cute names like that," she said crossing her arms. "Even if you are my daddy, I don't like you because you left my mommy! Bring me back to her and to my friend Tali and Mr. and Mrs. DiNozzo!"

Kate smiled a little at Jenny, "It seems she inherited that fierceness from both her grandmother and her grandfather." Jenny nodded at her smiling a little before they both went back to watching over Mary.

"Quite a fiery one eh," Jayce chuckled. "Heh, I guess it makes sense that you wouldn't forgive me, but I'm not going to give up without a fight. If your mother was responsible I wouldn't have you right now."

"But she is responsible. She goes to school and takes care of me and has a job. I'd say she's better than you. I bet you don't have any friends if you live way out here," Mary sassed.

Jayce simply chuckled some more and left the room.

After the door had closed, Mary whispered. "Ms. Jenny, Ms. Kate… Are you still around?"

Both Jenny and Kate were both relieved that Mary was not at all being harmed, however they both still didn't like this situation. They reappeared to Mary. "Yes, we are still here hon," Jenny replied.

"Good… Do you know why he won't tell me the truth?"

"What do you mean sweetie?"

"He said I wouldn't understand why he isn't with my mommy if he is my daddy."

The two women looked at each other. Neither of them wanted to lie to her, but they could not tell her either. "We can't tell you," Kate said.

Mary crossed her arms. "But why?"

"We just can't."

"B-But I thought you were my friends…" Mary said as her eyes began to water.

As much as it hurt them, there was nothing they could really do to get out of this. "We are, but you need to trust us that we cannot tell you."

"But how can I… Ok fine…" Mary said reluctantly.

 _Well that was a bit easier than I had anticipated…_ Jenny thought to herself. It would not be too long until Jethro found out the whole truth.

* * *

Gibbs had taken the elevator down to Abby's lab to bring her a Caf-Pow. He knew that she had been working longer shifts lately and he knew she would need it.

He saw her hard at work behind one of her computer screens. He took note of the other screen, obviously could not see the words on the screen from the distance he currently was at, but he noticed a familiar picture…

"Hey Abbs," Gibbs greeted her as he set down the Caf-Pow.

Abby quickly switched off the screen that she was not using. "Oh hey Gibbs!" she said trying to act natural. "Sorry I left that screen on even though I'm not using it currently. It's a waste of power, I know. Bad Abby!" she rambled before lightly slapping her arm.

Gibbs sighed. _She tries at least…_ "So, what do you got Abbs?"

Abby quickly started explaining the results she got, however Gibbs was only half listening because he could not help but wonder why that picture was on the other screen. It was a picture of former NCIS director Jenny Shepard who was shot to death many years ago. Did she have some kind of connection to any of the cases they were currently working on?

"Gibbs? Hellooooo, earth to Gibbs!" Abby shouted trying to get his attention.

"Thanks Abbs," Gibbs said quickly before speeding out of the lab.

"Wait, but did you get all that?" Abby asked but it was too late. _Phew, that was a close one…_ she thought before turning on the other screen. She still couldn't believe everything she had found out. Seeing the picture of the former director made her remember how much she missed her.

Gibbs hurried into the elevator to go back to the squad room to see if Ellie had figured anything out. He couldn't get his mind off of why Abby had a picture of Jenny on her computer screen. He did not understand what was going on, this whole case, he was still wondering why he got a strange inkling whenever he was around Bethany. That familiar feeling, would he ever understand it? He still had another floor to go when the elevator door opened and Tim had walked in with Tony, Ziva and Tali. He was still deep in his train of thought when Tali suddenly ran to him and hugged him. "Hi Uncle Gibbs," she said not being her usual cheerful self

"Hey Tali," Gibbs said gently after getting out of his daze and ruffling her hair. He then looked to his former agents. "I'm glad to see you are all safe."

"Thanks Gibbs," Tony and Ziva both replied in unison as Gibbs carefully lifted Tali.

Whenever he held her it made him think of his late daughter Kelly who died along with her mother Shannon years ago. Gibbs smiled and gently kissed her forehead. Ziva felt Tony gently grasp her hand and the couple smiled. The thoughts that Gibbs had after going to Abby's lab soon escaped his mind as the elevator reached the squad room.

 **A/N: Well I hope you liked this long overdue chapter! Please review! :)**


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